No Other Choice
by ElissaCousland
Summary: Light has a brush with death and realizes she doesn't want to die a virgin. So what -or rather, who- will she do about it?
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Just a little somethin' while I wait for betas to get back to me with other stuff. ;) rated for eventual FLight, so be forewarned if you don't like yuri.

-No Other Choice-

Ch.1

Lightning struggled to make sense of the last few moments, but when she tried to think, nausea swirled her guts into a vicious knot that made her vision blur and sent black spots to dancing before her eyes. Sitting up was a pitiful failure, as she found she couldn't lift her head off the ground. Her insides burned from just below her throat all the way down her torso to her navel. Her lungs were on fire as she fought for breath, the slight, coppery taste in her mouth telling her with no doubt, she had internal injuries. She turned her head slightly and spit in to the soft, green grass. She winced. The sheer amount of blood expelled onto the ground told her, in no uncertain terms, just how bad it was.

It should have frightened her, but oddly enough, she felt a peaceful sort of calm while the events around her unfolded with crystal clarity. She was down. That much was obvious. Hope grunted from somewhere nearby, shooting Firaga after Firaga as fast as he could chant. Fang's lance sliced through the air with deadly speed, making soft swooshing sounds in it's wake. Snow's blows landed over and over on the beast. Sazh's shots rang out, a steady rhythm exploding into the otherwise quiet Pulsian night.

Lightning smiled. Fang had given her lessons in the Sentinel role, against the older woman's judgement. "You're too small, Light. You can't take that much damage," she had said.

She was right, the soldier realized. But the lessons had come in handy. They had all been in danger of one terrible swipe of the beast's paw, until Lightning rushed forward, leaping into the air and firing her gun blade into the creature's thick hide to draw it's attention away.

"Light! NO!" she heard Fang shout behind her.

Lightning shifted her paradigm into Sentinel, just before the beast reared back with it's massive paw.

The soldier smiled one last time. She had saved her friends.

OOOOOOO

"LIGHTNING!" a high-pitched squeal of fear and concern escaped from Vanille's worried countenance, and Fang instinctively covered her with Sentinel role as the younger Oerban ran to their fallen leader's side.

Vanille crashed to her knees at Lightning's side, already halfway through chanting Curaga, but Lighting glanced at her with rapidly unfocusing eyes. She breathed only one word. "Ph-Phoe…nix…"

"Light!" Vanille cried out, tears falling down her cheeks as she watched the woman who had saved them all, fade from life's grasp.

Phoenix down! She remembered. That's what Lightning had tried to say. She reached into her hip pouch and pulled out a fluffy yellow feather. She laid on Light's chest, over her heart, avoiding to touch any of the blood and instinctively averting her eyes from the gaping wound that nearly cleaved the soldier in two.

She waited a moment. But nothing happened.

NO!

"Light!" she cried, "Come on, you have to fight! Please Lightning, come back!"

She tried again with another feather.

Still, nothing happened. Vanille began to cry harder. She was starting to panic. What if she couldn't revive her? What if Lightning was really going to die?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: sorry i left you hangin there, but I was late for a church movie date thing with my wife. so anyway on to part 2. eh, this was suppose to be just a quick kink, but I kinda got carried away with the angst of it all. ;)

-No Other Choice-

Ch.2

Vanille knew why she couldn't bring Lightning back. The wound in her body was too large, she had lost too much blood. But Vanille couldn't do two things at once, she needed to chant to make the Phoenix down work, so she couldn't chant Curaga at the same time…

"HOPE!" she yelled.

"Uhh, little -busy, Vanille!"

"HOPE, NOW!" Vanille yelled, a lot more forcefully.

"Huhn?"

He must have turned around to look at her, because he was at her side in fractions of a second. "LIGHT!" he gasped.

She was already chanting again with a third feather in her hands and Hope knew his own role without being told. All around them the sounds of the battle went on, and the others must have figured out what had happened because they lured the beast away so the two young mages could work to revive Lightning.

It was hard, arduous work. Every time Vanille would cast a Phoenix down, Hope had mere seconds for his Curaga to work. Her heart would start to beat again, fueling more blood to pump uselessly onto the ground. They didn't give up. They couldn't.

Progress was slow, but they were making ground. With each round of Phoenix/Curaga, a few more centimeters of guts would mend, and after an hour, Hope was sure she would make it, if he could get the wound closed.

"Uh…Hope…?" Vanille sounded worried as she called his attention.

He turned to face her and was met with a grim countenance. She choked out a sob as she turned her hip pouch upside down and nothing spilled out of it. The silence between them could have birthed a new meaning to the word sad.

Hope's bottom lip trembled. His fists clenched and his nostrils flared. His throat swelled up and there was damned crystal dust in his eyes or something. "No…," he whispered, his voice breaking on the air as soon as the word penetrated the stillness.

"No more," Vanille commented sadly, her own tears falling onto the bloody grass below.

"But-but…we were-so close," Hope choked on his words, his tears creating ragged trails down his cheeks that somehow made him look older than his years. "…so close…" he whispered softly. Vanille could see he was starting to tremble very minutely.

She gasped, a bit surprised when the boy let out a loud, mournful, angry, and frustrated wail out into the night and slammed his fists against the blood-streaked ground. "Dammit, Light! Why!" He collapsed on the ground, letting his grief overtake him, crying helplessly in his despair, "Why'd you have to die?" he asked of the still, cold form laying prone before him.

"Don't you understand we need you?…I need you…" he whispered as he nuzzled up to her side and cried. "Nobody ever cared about what I needed. Dad just…ignored me, and Mom…"

"Mom's gone…" he whispered softly, "…and now so are you…"

He broke down into loud, uncontrollable sobs, clinging to Lightning's corpse.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- If you squint really really hard, you could pretend there's a little bit of Vanille/Hope subtext in this chap, you know, if you're into that couple. but wait...wouldn't that make Vanille a big ol' pedo? considering she's 19-ish? Does anyone _really_ know how old she is? cause I'm just guessing. oh well. enjoy. R&R if you liked it! thanks!

-No Other Choice-

Ch. 3

The battle ended abruptly as the creature gave a final pained cry and Pulse shook when it's massive body fell dead to the ground. Snow, Sazh, and Fang rushed back to where Vanille and Hope were huddled over Lightning's body. As they got closer, Fang could tell Vanille was crying.

There was only one reason Vanille would be crying. Fang's heart stopped beating. Her eyes scanned the area, focusing on the pile of feathers laid atop their leader's heart. Usually, under normal circumstances, just one would do. But there was a _pile_ of them. In fact, it looked like the teens had used every last one of the groups' supply of Phoenix Downs. Something was wrong. Fang felt herself fill with an odd mixture of adrenaline and a certain calm collectedness.

Hope was a wreck. He clung to Lightning's body and cried for all he was ever worth. _Poor li'l bastard. That's twice he's lost his mother now._

Fang brushed him aside and nearly gasped at the sight of all the blood. She felt it soak through the bottom of her sandals and begin to creep up the fabric of her sari that dangled around her ankles. She sighed when her eyes saw the gaping wound that split the soldier straight down her middle.

_I'm gonna kill you, Light. If you live through this, I'm gonna fucking kill you._

She knelt down and placed a hand on Light's cheek tenderly, but she drew it away when she felt how cold the soldier's body was. That same cold ran up through her fingers, along her arm and somehow found it's way to wind and tighten around her heart.

_I'm gonna kill you, you hear me?_

Her fists flexed into tight balls of worried tension. Sazh was the first of the adults to speak up.

"Damn! Used up all the Phoenix down, huh?"

"Um…Didn't we just pass a herd of wild chocobos?" Snow inquired, voice laced with uncertainty.

"Yeah…," Sazh replied, "about two days, back _that_ way." he said, pointing over the horizon. He shook his head and sighed as he took a seat on his rump.

"What are we going to do?" Snow lamented, resting his chin on one hand while the other arm supported that one by crossing over his chest.

As if summoned by fate, the little yellow chick popped it's curious head out of it's nest of Sazh's hair. "K-_kweh_?" it chirped.

"_Chocobo!" _Vanille piped and hopped up. She ran at, then tackled Sazh, snatching the little bird up in her hands.

"Kweh-kweh-kweh!" it protested at the sudden rudeness of the girl it had actually come to _like_ over their travels together. It was soon to be further incensed. Vanille glanced down at the chick, a pitying look in her eyes as she gently stroked his head.

"S-sorry little fella…"

"K-KWEH!" the little chick squawked as loud as a full grown chocobo and pecked her hand in revenge for the breeze that now ran over it's skin where there used to be soft, downy feathers.

Vanille ran back to Lightning already chanting again, she nudged Hope and when he didn't respond she yelled at him. "Hope!"

"Maker, take me too," he whispered between sobs, "take me, too"

Fang sighed and yanked him up by his collar to look at Vanille as that seemed the quickest way to explain the sudden turn of events to him.

"Huh?" he blinked and rubbed the wetness on his face.

"Okay!" Vanille nodded grasping the boy firmly about the shoulders. Her countenance changed to a take-charge sort of attitude that Fang found absolutely adorable about her little adopted sister.

"Now we're gonna have to coordinate our efforts," she said, glancing once at each of her companions in turn. "but I think we can save her."

Her emerald gaze softened as she looked at the silver-haired boy who seemed to be regaining his composure, albeit in tiny increments.

"Hope," he glanced up at his name, spoken so gently from the usually peppy girl's lips. "I need you to be ready, the very second I've cast and it takes, that's the very moment your cast needs to take hold. So we have to synchronize. So start chanting now, since Curaga takes longer to cast, alright."

He nodded once and his lips began to move, his voice gone to a soft drone, almost a whisper, entranced by pure concentration on his appointed task. Vanille squeezed his shoulder lightly. "It's gonna be alright. We'll save her. Don't worry, Hope." His eyes flicked to her one last time before they focused before him and faded into the distance of his mind. His small lips never stopped moving.

"Right!" Vanille nodded. "So you guys," she said, turning to the others. But she smiled when she saw they were already chanting. Nothing else needed spoken. Vanille's plan was simple, and easily caught on by the rest of the group. Before Hope's Curaga could fade out, before Light could bleed out, the other three would hit her with a massive Curagaja, that would hopefully repair the rest of her broken body.

OOOOOOO

They stared down in confusion at the still body of the pink-haired soldier. "Nooo!" Hope wailed again. His hollow eyes shot an accusatory glare at Vanille. "You said it would work! You said…that was all we had…" his voice trailed off, overtaken by grief.

Vanille glanced up at the warrior, as if she could provide some sort of answer. Emerald cat's eyes glimmered, trembling on the verge of tears once more. "Fang…?" she pleaded at the older woman.

The woman in question felt a tug in her chest. _No, it can't end like this!_ She clenched her fists tight, stubbornly refusing to believe what was happening. Her eyes saw not the corpse on the ground before her. Instead, she saw a ghost-image super-imposed over the body. That fleetingly brief but altogether breathtaking smile Light had given her as she glanced back over her shoulder at Fang just before she saved them all from the deathblow. That tiny, tentative, awkward half-smile, as if Lightning had no real practice with the act. She hadn't imagined it. It had been aimed entirely at Fang. It was the only time the leader had ever smiled genuinely, to her knowledge at least and now…

_NO! _Fang refused to let herself believe that it would be last time she would ever see that smile. She tried real hard to think. The body on the ground had been healed. The insides mended and the wound closed up, and though it had exhausted them all, they even kept up with the healing magic until their reserves were completely drained, in order to allow Lightning to unnaturally recover some of the vast amount of blood she had lost. But still, the body remained motionless.

Fang's eyes trailed the angry red scar along her skin that marked the extent of the wound's path along her body. The image of her insides splayed open flashed through her mind. Blood…so much blood…

_Maybe… _the thought began to take form in her mind.

Fang had certainly thought the woman would have internal injuries if she lived through the night, when she first came upon the sight. She could definitely see that her ribs were broken and one of them pressed upward, half-buried in her lung.

_The healing magic would have taken care of that, though…_ the dots were beginning to coalesce, to come together.

_Blood, she drowned on her own blood._ Fang glanced down at the body and sure enough, she could see the bruising that enveloped the woman's chest. It was just blood, blood that needed to be drained away.

_That's it! _Fang thought, knowing she finally had the answer. All the cure magic on both worlds couldn't save her, if she couldn't breathe!

_Maybe she just…needs air!_

"Vanille!" Fang shouted, a little too loud as the girl startled with a sudden meep, and glanced up at Fang.

Fang was already dragging the soldier's body over to a fallen log. She propped Lightning's body against it. "Get on the other side. Hold her up and keep her that way." the older Pulsian instructed. Vanille obeyed and the others were left wondering what was going on and could only watch.

Fang knelt beside Lightning and started slapping her face lightly.

"Come on, soldier girl, wake up,"

There was no immediate reply, but Fang figured it would take a few minutes for the blood to drain out of her lungs. She stopped slapping her face and shook her gently by the shoulders.

"Come on, you're the hero, Light. You don't _get_ to die."

Still, there was no response. Fang thought about the healing magic again and how it worked. All of the damage in her body was fixed, but , how could magic possibly produce air? Her own thoughts came back to her.

_Maybe she just needs some air._

"Alright then," Fang mumbled, more to herself than to Lightning or anyone else, " you wanna be stubborn, fine. We'll just do this the hard way. But don't get pissed at me when you wake up,"

Vanille and Hope thought Fang had snapped and gone crazy. Now she was talking to herself…or did she really think Light could hear her?

Fang cupped one side of Lightning's face and felt that it was warm to her touch. Her other hand found it's way to Lightning's left breast which was bare because her clothes had been shredded in the attack. Warm as her body was, though, the heart under her hands was stubbornly silent. Fang snapped.

Her fist clenched and she pounded on Light's chest where her heart ought to have been beating, but wasn't. She let out a rageful cry of frustration. "Damn it Light! You stubborn bitch! Wake up!" With each accusation, Fang's fist beat none to gently against Light's chest. She swallowed away the tightness that had grown in her throat since the moment she saw Light smile at her and knew what she had been about to do.

_Gotta keep cool_, Fang thought, forcing herself to regain her composure. _She just needs air, right?_

Again, Fang cupped Light's cheek in her trembling hand. She tenderly brushed her thumb over those small, cotton-candy-pink lips, parting them slightly. Fang took a deep breath and edged closer. Her heart danced wildly with a certain prayer to any deity who might listen. _Please wake up._

The warrior Pulsian was surprised at how unexpectedly soft those lips were as she pressed against them, breathing her life-breath into the soldier's mouth. Lightning's chest rose slowly as Fang's air filled her lungs. She pulled away, took another deep breath, and repeated the breath-share. Again Light's chest rose, but not on it's own accord. Fang refused to give up, letting Lightning's oxygen-starved lungs take all that she could give. She broke away again and glanced around at the others who exchanged worried glances amongst themselves and returned expectant faces to her.

Fang sighed, closed her eyes, pictured Light's beautiful, awkward smile. She inhaled deeply one more time and moved in again.

But this time, halfway through the action, Fang realized something was different. Something weak but steady pulsed against her hand. Her hand? Her hand was on Light's breast. Which meant…

_Light…?_ While Fang's heart leaped for joy, she barely had time to process the wonder of the moment, as the soldier chose that instant to stir beneath her.

"Mmmph…?" she tried to say, and when she did, just the very tip of her tongue so gently happened to glide over Fang's, tickling the Pulsian's with it's slick warmth.

The Pulse woman's reaction was immediate and untamable. She shuddered, though she tried to control it, and her moan that escaped into Lightning's mouth wasn't as loud as it _could_ have been. _But Damn! _She thought to herself reveling in the electric heat that sizzled down her spine, sending shockwaves throughout her body. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to kiss Lightning for real.

The raven-haired huntress forced herself to pull away as pink-lashed lids fluttered violently, trying to remember how to open.

"Atta girl, Light," she mumbled soft encouragement, still oblivious to the others around them, "Come on back, darlin'. You know we missed you," "_I_ missed you," she whispered. Only Vanille was close enough that she heard that last part.

The red-head colored a little, knowing now that it was true. Her suspicions confirmed. Fang was crushing on Lightning. Vanille had also been close enough to hear that faint moan from Fang, close enough to see the minute tremor run through her body. Had she really tried to steal a kiss while Light was…incapacitated? _Oh, Fang! _She inwardly groaned, seeing where Fang's had was at that moment, where it had been all along. _That is __**so**__ wrong. She's gonna kill you when she finds out!_

Lightning's eyes finally managed to open, but they had trouble focusing because she was still so very weak. All she could see was tanned skin, and a dark blur that she could only guess was Fang's hair, and she only guessed that much because in the middle of it all were two stunningly hypnotic emeralds it seemed she could not draw her eyes away from.

"Ff-aa..ng..?"

"Shhh…" was her only reply until warm, slender fingers gently traced along her cheek. Fang's sweet sotto voice followed. "Save your strength."

She tried to get up, only to fail. Her vision was still a total blur and pain, new, searing, rending levels of pain she had never imagined wracked through her frame. Suddenly, her body was pressed into what she assumed was Fang's.

"I've got you," she whispered into Lightning's hair and the soldier felt herself lifted cleanly off the ground. She instinctively clung to Fang's neck, while the older woman supported her body with one hand and held her legs under the knees with her other hand.

What happened? She wanted to ask, but found she was far to weak to force the words from her throat. So she rested her head against the taller, raven-haired woman's chest and let her carry her wherever she was carrying her to.

Lightning's vision was still blurry moments later when Fang gently lowered her to the ground and placed her on a warm fur blanket.

"Fang…" she wanted to say Thank You, _felt_ for some reason, that she should, that she needed to, but she was asleep before she could finish the thought.

"I'm right here, Light," Fang whispered to the soldier's unconscious form. She laid down next to her, brushed aside some of that wild, asymmetrical hair to get a better look at the sleep-softened features of the brash-tempered woman.

"You're Welcome," she offered, already realizing what Lightning had tried to say. They had a special kind of telepathy that way. It showed mostly in battle where they could anticipate each other's moves, almost before they themselves knew what they were going to do. And sometimes they could read each other, finish each other's thoughts.

Fang scooted closer, leaned over, and kissed Lightning, letting her lips just barely graze the skin of her forehead so as not to wake the light-sleeping soldier. Vanille gasped and Hope seemed to choke on his breath. Fang didn't care what the other's thought. She was only glad that the woman she currently found herself madly in love with had not died tonight.

She settled closer and pulled the soldier's form up to her, hugging the stoic woman protectively, as if afraid that some wicked Pulsian creature might come out of the shadows of the night and take her away.

_Nothing's gonna take you from me again, I swear it, Light. Not now. Not ever. _She thought and clutched her a little tighter as she drifted off to sleep.

OOOOOOO

A/N- turned out a bit more waffy and romantic than originally intended. but's not a bad thing, right? Right? okay so I guess, maybe Fang has an unrequited crush on light, apparently for a while? Agree? Disagree? want more FLight? heehee, so do I! ;) Reviews pls, so's I feel motivated to continue.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- this part turned out a bit more Crack-y than I thought! both are wayyy OOC, but all for the sake of comedy, ;) enjoy!

-No Other Choice-

Ch. 4

Fang was on cloud nine. She was up with the sun that morning, prancing about camp with an unusual spring in her step, looking much more like Vanille than herself. Breakfast was almost ready and she hummed softly to herself while the others, minus the exhausted soldier of course, began to stir at the smell of food cooking over open flame.

_MEAT!_

She could almost hear their stomachs growl in unison. It was an ingredient they hadn't had for a while, the game being particularly scarce on this part of Pulse. It was just their bad luck (good luck?) that the beast appeared when it had. And even better luck that they had managed to kill it before it killed them all.

And the best luck of all?

Lightning hadn't died that night. And to top it all off, what really was the cherry on top of the cream…Fang had been the one to revive her. _Fang_.

_After everything we tried…it was __**me**__!_

She knew it was silly. She tried to reprimand herself for thinking such a thing, but it was almost like those fictional "Earth" stories Vanille liked to read when they were younger. The one in particular that put Fang in heaven was similar to what had happened last night. The beautiful princess lost in eternal slumber and the only way she could be revived was by the kiss of her One True Love.

…_ME…! _Her heart somersaulted again and she almost dropped the plates she was carrying, when she tripped over her own two feet.

_Woah, gotta watch where I'm going, hehe…_

The others stirred and made their own plates of Behemoth King steak and Chocobo eggs but Fang paid them no heed at all. She settled down sitting cross-legged next to Light's still sleeping form. _Poor thing needs her rest…_ Fang almost felt bad about having to wake her but… _She's gotta eat…vital to her recovery and all…Oh, shit!_

Fang averted her gaze from Lightning's naked chest peeking out from the slashed in half clothing she wore. _Shit!_ Fang set both plates down next to her and desperately glanced around for something to cover up the soldier's modesty with. Last night it hadn't even been an issue. Last night was about saving her life. Fang was sure nobody, not even that pervy old man, Sazh, had really noticed that she was about naked from the waist up. But she was certain, absolutely beyond any doubt certain, that Lighting would be a whole lot less than happy if she woke up in her current state of undress.

There wasn't anything nearby that she could wrap her up in, except for the blanket, so she pulled that all the way up to her neck and just at that moment, Lightning's gorgeous blue eyes decided to finally open.

Fang was caught for a moment, captured by the color of the sky reflecting back at her, the once-soft features scowling into a confused look. "Fang?"

"That's me, darlin'" Fang said before she could stop herself, and mentally face palmed. _So lame!_ _Just go ahead and say I'm crushin on you, by the way, why don't you !_

"What happened?" she asked, moving to sit up.

"No! Don't get up!" Fang warned, "you'll…uh…hurt yourself…" she trailed off.

To her surprise, Lightning seemed to buy it. The soldier nodded and laid her pale-faced head back down. "I remember…Behemoth…?"

Fang nodded with a grim smile, wincing at the memory of Lighting taking that blow. She raised a plate up for Light to see.

The soldier shook her head slightly, then grunted in pain. "Not…urgh…hun-"

"Don't rightly care, babe. You need the protien," Fang again spoke before she thunk, and was mortified by the look Lightning gave her as she cocked her head to the side. A look that said without a doubt.

_What the Hell? Did she just…call me…?_

Fang colored and averted her gaze from the dawning realization on the soldier's face.

FAIL! Fang thought, _EPIC FAIL!_ She took a deep breath, and pretended like she hadn't just stuck her foot in her mouth. _Keep cool…maybe she didn't notice?_

But Lightning always had a way of speaking exactly what was on her mind. "Did you just…call me..-"

Fang cut her off with a well-timed forkful of carefully prepared breakfast. "Come on, eat up Light."

"Mmph!" Light cried, startled at the sudden interjection of food in her mouth. She couldn't do anything but chew it, so she did. And it was _delicious! _The combination of spices and just a bit of charring to the outside of the meat _almost_ made her forget that Fang was acting weird this morning.

Well, weirder than usual anyway. Like manually feeding her breakfast, and why was she blushing so much? _That's weird even for Fang. Nothing makes Fang blush._

A fragment of a memory came to her suddenly, unbidden, and it was something that made her fists clench. F_ang's soft moan against her own lips while she tried to ask what the hell was going on._

"Fang?" she began, trying to contain the anger that was slowly beginning to boil beneath the surface of her otherwise cool demeanor.

"Yeah Light?"

"Did you…did you _kiss_ me? Last night?"

"Wh-hugah?" Fang choked on her bite of eggs that she had been trying to swallow when Light accusatorily glared at her.

She swallowed the eggs and dropped her plate, throwing her hands up in defense. She shook her head vehemently, side to side. "No! Huh-uh! _You _kissed _me_!"

Lighting glared and shot upright. "_ME_? _I_ was _unconscious_! And…and you-" her already-pale-from-blood-loss features paled even more with the other fragment of the memory that chose now to surface to the forefront of her mind. Fang knew by the look in Light's eyes…she was so screwed!

"You _touched_ me!"

"No! No, I didn't Light! Not like that! It wasn't like that, I _swear_!"

Lightning sat up further to glare harder at the other woman.

"No!" Fang yelped, but it was too late. The blanket slid down off of her and fell into her lap.

The soldier blanched, horrified as she looked down at her nude upper body. Fang glanced away immediately not wanting to be accused of being a peeping perv.

"Why am I nake-oooohhh _nooooo_!

Fang dared a glance up at the sudden change in Light's voice, from angry, to… heartbroken?

The soldier was clutching her coat around her , or trying to clutch was left of it. The look on her face was indeed one of utter despair. She glanced up at Fang, pleading, all traces of wrath gone elsewhere for the moment and Fang thanked whatever mysterious deity had taken pity on her that very moment.

"This was my _favorite_ coat!" Lightning wailed, and much to Fang's surprise, started to cry -actually _cry_- over it.

_Wait? What?_

"But…Light…um…don't you have _several_ others? That are _exactly_ the same?"

"Tch." Lightning scoffed, "yea, but this one…"

"Is your favorite…" Fang rolled her eyes, just grateful that Lightning wasn't mad at her anymore. Then she had an idea.

"Tell you what. I can sow it for you. Then it'll be good as new, right?"

"It's not the same…" she pouted, jutting out her bottom lip, almost like…like _Vanille_.

_Wow_, Fang thought, _she's adorable_! She couldn't help the goofy grin that found it's way onto her face_. I wonder if everybody who has a near-death experience changes their personality so much?_ Or maybe she just needed to rest some more? Who knew if the change would be permanent, but Fang certainly wouldn't mind if it was. _She's just too cute!_

"Here," Fang said, reaching over to get Light one of her extra coats out of her belongings. "Put this one on so I can mend the other one, okay?" She rolled her eyes at Lightning's defiant glare. "Fine, okay, I'll turn around," she said as she turned her back to the pouting soldier.


	5. Chapter 5

-No Other Choice-

Ch. 5

One dream faded into the next and Lighting could hardly tell her waking, sane moments, from her often-strange and somewhat frightening dreams. There was one dream, in particular, that frightened her the most, and she was having it again. Now.

_Pulse._

_A storm beats the world with torrents of down pouring water._

_A flash of Lightning streaks across the dark, gloomy thunderheads above, illuminating the ground below._

_In the brief light, she sees it. A smooth marble slab. A headstone, fresh and new._

_There are people nearby. She can hear them talking, but can't quite make out what they are saying._

_More lightning flashes in the sky above and the point of view shifts around to the front of the grave marker._

_Her heart pounds in her fitful sleep. She already knows what to expect, but it somehow catches her off-guard, as it always does._

_Here lies:_

_LIGHTNING FARRON_

_*cold-hearted bitch_

_*unloved_

_*ungrieved_

_*and at 21, STILL a VIRGIN!_

_She has just enough time to let the words sink in, before the weight of their truth startles her awake once more._

She startles awake, jolting upright, heart pounding, chest heaving as she hyperventilates. She is shaken by the nightmare, shaken to the core. She wonders, _is it true? Am I that cold? Does no one really like me? Am I going to die…a virgin?_

Then she really begins to ponder the events, or rather lack of events in her life, such as a certain lack of dates, of significant others, of anyone or anything other than work and her sister Serah. _Why haven't I had sex? Am I…unattractive? Really? _

Not that she was vain, but was she truly _undesirable?_ Lightning wasn't sure what to think, and she certainly wasn't sure what to think of that particular thought. Something stirred beside her and she startled momentarily, before she realized it was just Fang.

For some unknown reason, Fang insisted on sleeping with her every night since the 'incident'. Fang said it was to protect her, that the party can't go on without it's leader, and one near-death experience was just one too many. Lightning had insisted that she didn't _need _protecting, but Fang knew exactly what buttons to push and was ready with a certain comeback. _Hope's already lost one mother, Light. Do you want to think how he'll be if he lost you, his surrogate mother?_ When Lightning scoffed instinctively at her remark, Fang's eyes had gone soft. _You weren't there Light. You didn't see. The way he clung to you. He was…inconsolable…_

So Lightning slept with Fang holding her protectively every night since then. Speak of the devil-woman…and she begins to stir.

"Hmm? Light? Eh? Nother nightmare?" Fang asks groggily, rubbing her eyes while she sits up. Her hand casually comes up Lightning's back, gently tracing circles there and though Lightning initially stiffens at the contact, she can't deny it's soothing to her weary, frightened mind. She leans closer to Fang, subconsciously.

Fang smirks to herself. It's a small victory, even though the stoic soldier hasn't yet told her about these nightmares, the ones that wake her in a cold sweat. Fang thinks they might have something to do with her ordeal, nearly dying and all. She smiles grimly, continuing to rub circles along Light's back. Usually, she does this for a while and Light will curl up against her and just let her hold her until she falls asleep again.

But tonight is different.

"Fang…?" Lightning asks softly, carefully not looking anywhere but straight ahead.

"Hm?" Fang replies, knowing that this is clearly something serious that requires her full attention, she stops rubbing Light's back and shifts position to sit facing the other woman.

"Would you want to have sex with me?"

Fang's jaw drops open and she chokes, although on what, she doesn't quite know.

"Wh-_what_?" She can hardly process what she thought she heard Light ask.

Lightning stares directly at her, a curious look on her face.

"Fang, if you were a man, would you want to have sex with me?"

Fang winced, mentally face-palming herself again. _And __**there **__it is…sorry hon…guess she's a __**straight **__arrow then._ But the pleading look in Lightning's eyes tugged at Fang's heartstrings. She just looked so distraught.

Fang sighed. She honestly loved these private moments alone with Lightning, reveled in them, in fact. And of course, she had known their time would be fleeting. Once Light was fully recovered she would likely kick Fang out of her bed, so to speak. She had tried to remain hopeful, what else was a girl to do sleeping next a gorgeous woman like Lightning? But now, her illusion was so cruelly shattered. She took a deep breath, trying to ignore the pained throbbing in her chest. She let out the breath slowly and when she was sure her voice wouldn't crack, she responded.

"Light…If I was a man, I would definitely want to have sex with you,"

Lightning regarded her a moment. Then her eyes narrowed slightly.

"You're lying,"

Fang arched an eyebrow. "No, I'm not,"

"You are," Lightning nodded, "I can tell. That's not what you meant to say."

Fang sighed, _Trust a soldier to know when someone's lying._

"Light," Fang began, averting her eyes this time, "look, if I was a guy, I really would want to have sex with you, okay."

Lightning scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Nevermind," she said, turning away, "that's all I wanted to know,"

She started to settle in, with her back to Fang, as if she was going to fall asleep again. But Fang, still sitting, turned her onto her back so she could look at her. "What Light? What'd you want to know?"

"S'nothin'. Nevermind," Lightning said attempting to turn over, but Fang's grip on her shoulder was firm and kept her planted in place.

"No, it isn't nothing or you wouldn't have brought it up. Now what's on your mind?"

Lightning sighed. "It's just…" she sat up, shook her head, "…stupid. It's just, stupid. Never mind…"

Fang felt like she was trying to get answers out a brick wall, but she proceeded anyway, intrigued from the moment the word 'sex' had come into play.

"Light…" she said, gripping the other woman's arm, so she couldn't turn away again. Lightning met her eyes with swimming, uncertain blue ones. "You're not stupid. I wanna know. What were you gonna say?"

Lightning swallowed, seemed to have some difficulty getting the words out of her mouth at first, but they came finally, her voice so small Fang barely heard it.

"Do you think…I'm…attractive?"

For the second time that night, Fang's jaw dropped gapingly open. _What? Oh gods tell me, tell me she's not __**that**__ clueless…is she? __But…it's kinda cute…_

Fang grinned, ear to ear. "Yeah, Light. You're incredibly attractive, I've always thought so," _Oh, crap! _Another face-palm FAIL-moment. _Step one: Open mouth, Step two: Insert foot._

But instead of the wrath of Lightning Farron, Fang was actually rewarded with that adorably awkward smile, Lightning's mouth turning up only slightly so at the corners.

"Really? You think so?"

Fang was encouraged by the smile, the hope she saw shining behind those captivating cerulean eyes. "Yeah, I really do," she admitted freely.

Light's smile widened a little. Her eyes narrowed, mimicking little half-moons. "Than-thank you, Fang" she stammered awkwardly.

Fang's goofy smile returned to her own lips, and they stared at each other a moment longer, just smiling between themselves.

Lightning broke away first, settling back down against her pillow. Fang laid down beside her, goofy grin still plastered all over her face. Lightning yawned. "G'night, Fang,"

Fang scooted closer and nestled in, breathing deeply of Lightning's hair. She sighed, wistfully and fought the urge to plant a kiss in the hollow of Lightning's neck. Instead, she pulled her closer, bringing the soldier's back flush against her front, snuggling her as close as she possibly could.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N - GAh! can't belive I wrote that, musta been tired. typo alert! "crossed her arms over her shoulders" - indeed! That would be...impossible! sorry folks.

-No Other Choice-

Ch. 6

As the days went by and her body began to recover, Lightning had nothing to do but sit around and mull over the thoughts in her head. Fang was always nearby and when she'd try to get up and _do _something, because she just couldn't _sit around _anymore, Fang would scold her with such a piercing look that she felt compelled to obey, and she would sit back down and examine her nails, or count the tiny pink-blonde hairs on her arms, or some other unnecessary and pointless task she would give herself to keep her mind occupied.

_Of course it makes perfect sense! You're still a __**virgin**__, because you're not a __**slut**__!_

She nodded absently, agreeing with her inner monologue and Fang quirked a curious brow at her.

_Yeah, that's right! _

"I'm not a _slut_."

At Fang's further raised eyebrow, joined by it's mate, Lightning blushed.

_Oops! Did I say that out loud?_

_Of course you did, you stupid. That's why they're all staring at you now._

_Well fine, let them. It's true anyway. I'm not one._

"Light…?" Fang called, snapping her fingers in front of the preoccupied soldier's face.

"Hm? What? Oh." Lightning cleared her throat when she looked up and saw Fang standing closer and she hadn't even realized when this had happened.

Fang squatted down to Lightning's level, without actually sitting, just balancing her weight on her ankles. "You all right, love?" Inwardly Fang cursed herself, but she couldn't help her Pulse accent. Anyone she cared about - Vanille, Hope, Snow, even that pervy Sazh- were either "mate", 'hon', or 'love' to her. Still, she cursed how easily that _particular _endearment sprang forth so eagerly from her lips in regard to the pink-haired woman she currently slept with, and could never have.

Lightning glanced back at her, showing nothing in her stoic features. "I'm fine,"

Fang sighed and stood back up. _Oh well_, she thought, resigning herself to the knowledge that if there truly was anything bothering their leader, the woman would confess this to her tonight.

_Tonight…_

That awful clench seized Fang's heart once more. Light was getting better. Much better, in fact. Fang could tell the woman was getting restless. Which had to mean she was feeling better. Tonight would likely be the last night they slept together. She quickly walked away, turning her back on Lightning so she wouldn't see the tears forming in her eyes.

Fang took her frustrations out with her lance, by sparring a vicious tree that just so happened to threaten her by daring to get in her way. As she hacked away at the infamous and deadly tree, her thoughts punctuated each strike of her lance against the beast's thick hide.

_Should I …make a move?_

_Not unless you got a death-wish. You heard her the other night. Straight as an arrow, that one._

_But…_

_I know. It hurts. But you've gotta just let her go._

_NO! …that smile…_

_She only smiles like that, for __**me**__._

…_those eyes…_

_She only looks at __**me**__ that way._

_But…she's __**straight**__…right…?_

Fang let out a frustrated growl and slashed the dangerous tree with a flurry of strikes. The possibility of losing Lightning -_again_- was just too much to bear. She dropped her lance and sagged against it, defeated, ignoring the rough sting of the bark as she slid down to the ground, her knees suddenly weak and unable to hold her up anymore. For once, the great and mighty Oerba Yun Fang found herself at a loss. Her hands found their way to tangle in her wild tresses, elbows balanced on her knees while she thought out loud, "What should I do?"

OOOOOOO

Meanwhile…

Lightning was lost in her thoughts, a plan slowly beginning to take form in her mind. She had decided, love was something she could do without, at least, until their focus was completed and her life could get back to normal. But for the moment, she needed to find a suitable candidate for the plan she had dubbed _Operation: Get Laid_.

_Okay first we gotta rule out the obvious no-go's. _She counted off on her fingers. _First, Sazh. He's always complaining how he's too old for stuff. …Is he…too old, for __**that**__?_ Lightning pondered hard and realized she had no clue if he was or not. She shrugged. _Probably._

_Okay on to the next one. Hope, obviously a no-go. Way too young. Alright next…_She shuddered at this one and almost retched, feeling the bile rise up into her throat. _No way. No way in Hell I'm doing Snow. Besides…Serah. So, yeah, Snow is __**definitely**__ a no-go._

Lightning sighed, disheartened. This was harder than she thought it was going to be.

_That only leaves…_

_Vanille…?_

…_but…but…she's…a…__**she**__…_

Lightning wasn't even sure how that would work.

_And…besides…does she even __**know**__ about sex? _Lightning shook her head. She seemed so purely innocent. That would definitely be awkward. And Lightning didn't like the idea of being the one to corrupt the poor girl, she reminded the soldier so much of Serah anyway.

Lightning sighed. She rubbed her temples, trying to think. She was about to give up when…

_Of course, there's always…_

…_Fang…?_

Fang wasn't innocent, or gross, or too old, or too young. And she'd already said she would do her if she was a man. Besides, they were already _basically_ sleeping together, so, really, how much _different_ could it be than that? Right? Right!

"It's perfect!" she exclaimed, clenching her fists in victory. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard a small victory tune play once. _Da da-da-da Da-da da Da-da!_

_Target acquired!_

_Operation: Get Laid is a go! _

_Mission Start!_

Lightning rose to her feet and walked determinedly over to where Fang was sitting against a tree that had obviously seen better days. She barely registered the distress Fang was displaying. Lightning had a way of zeroing in on a target to the point that nothing else mattered. You could say she had a one-track mind. And right now, that track, was _Fang_.

Fang glanced up at Lightning's approach, eyeing the soldier from the ground up. Boots… legs…more legs… and yet, more legs…a belly ring? _How on Pulse did I miss __**that**__?_

"Fang."

Fang blushed, realizing she'd been staring Lightning's body and hadn't even acknowledged her presence yet. "Uh..hi, Light," she muttered sheepishly.

Lightning just stood there in her usual stance, leaning to one side with her hand on her hip, like she was expecting something.

"What do you need, love?" Fang tried to smile at her, but knew it was weak. Lightning was her beautiful torture.

"Follow me," she said, or rather, _commanded_. She turned and left walking in the opposite direction of camp.

Fang, of course, followed.

_Like her little damned puppy!_

_Shut up, you!_

_You know it's true!_

_Don't have to make fun of me for it…asshole…_

"So what's this about?" Fang asked when they finally came to a small, peaceful glen.

Lightning turned around to face her. Her eyes were their normal cerulean blue. Her expression blank. The same as always. She closed her eyes. Inhaled briefly and let it out. When she opened her eyes, they locked on Fang's.

"I need to have sex," she stated flatly.

Fang couldn't help it. She snickered, that knowing grin plastered over her lips. "Don't we all," she said off-handedly, with a light chuckle.

"Alrighty then!" Fang said clapping a hand on each of Light's shoulders, and then slipping one arm around her, to pull her in close for a side-hug. "Don't worry mate. We'll find ya a nice, handsome, strapping young male at the very next opportunity, okay?"

"Fang!" Lightning cried, pushing the taller, tan-skinned woman away from her so hard that Fang nearly fell over. "This isn't the time for _jokes_!" she said in a scathing manner, meant to cower down the older woman.

"I-Fang, I…died…" her voice trailed off. Her face was solemn, her once-beautiful eyes, hollow inside.

Fang's demeanor dropped immediately, taking its cue from Lightning's. The smirk was stolen from her lips by the unease Lightning obviously felt. Even in the bright daylight, the soldier rubbed her arms, as if she was cold all of a sudden and couldn't seem to warm herself.

"Light…" Fang approached the strawberry-blonde, took her by the arm, and pulled her into a lover's embrace, holding the woman tightly to her. She tucked Lightning's head under her chin and laced her arms around her waist, just holding her there. "you're so stupid. Don't ever do something like that again. I'd-…I'd…" she sighed and pushed Lighting away, holding her at arms length to look into her eyes. "Just…don't do it again, okay?"

Lightning nodded once, very faint, but her eyes returned to examining Fang's in a very soldier-like, very Lightning-like, assessing manner.

Lightning chose her next words very carefully as she wasn't sure how exactly to proceed with _Operation: Get Laid_. Oh well, the truth never hurt, right?

"I'm a virgin," she said, matter-of-factly.

Fang's lips quirked as she tried to fight off a cocky smile. "Kinda figured that, Light"

"I _died_," she reiterated.

Fang crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged her shoulders. "Nothin' a little Phoenix Down can't fix, eh? Don't worry about it, lo- uh, mate,"

Lightning rolled her eyes. Why was Fang making this so difficult? She clenched her fists in frustration, half-contemplating just giving up and punching the taller woman.

Instead, she pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. When she glanced back up, Fang was still smirking.

"Fang," she said, putting all seriousness and warning into her voice, "I _don't _want to die a _virgin_," she said, as if that clearly explained everything.

Fang continued to smirk that infuriating smirk of hers, all the while chuckling to herself, apparently rather bemused with Lightning's predicament and Lightning found her desire to hit Fang ever-increasing by the moment.

"All the more reason to hurry up and finish this focus, so we can find you a man, eh?"

"No, Fang!" Lightning yelled, finally bursting out with her frustration. "Not with some _stranger_! Not some distant time in the future that Maker knows if I'll even _get _to see!"

"Now, Fang! _Now!"_

Fang gulped quietly, her eyes widened, taken aback by Lightning's outburst. The silence grew thick in the space between their bodies as Fang tried to think of what to say.

"That's uh…that's gonna be hard to accommodate, Light. Ya know, being that there's a certain lack of eligible bache-"

Lightning cut her off. "I've already chosen," she stated, in a tone that brooked no further argument from the raven-haired Pulse woman.

Fang breathed in slow, deep breaths. She tried to convince herself that she didn't want to know who, but couldn't stop the word from escaping her mouth.

_I'llkillthesorryfuckerIswearit_

She opened her eyes again, "Who?" and her voice trembled only the tiniest bit.

Lightning didn't say anything right off the bat. She reached up to unbuckle her coat and Fang's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Don't worry," Lightning assured, "We're far enough away. They can't hear or see us,"

Fang barely managed to suppress a groan at Lightning's words. Like earlier, against the tree, her knees went weak, but she found enough stoicism to stand where she was. Although, truth told, if Lightning had so much as breathed in her general direction, the warrior would have crumbled.

"Wait-…wait…" Fang very strainedly tore her eyes away from the undressing soldier.

_She's just…__**using**__ me!_

Fang stared very hard at the grass while Lightning's clothes hit the ground piece by antagonizingly slow piece.

Fang wanted to leave, but found herself rooted to the spot when Lightning's clothes started hitting the ground.

Coat.

Thigh-pack.

Holster.

Glove.

Other glove.

Armsleeve.

Fang thought she was going to die when her ears picked up the undeniable sound of a zipper being pulled open. _Fuck! Snap out of it, Yun. She's just __**using**__ you, remember?_

_Yeah…well…little bitch won't get away with it. She wants a fuck…She'll get one she won't ever forget…__**Nobody**__ uses Oerba Yun Fang. __**Nobody **__tramples __**my**__ heart and gets away with it. _

She glanced up to find Lightning fully naked before her and waiting expectantly with that same hand-on-her-hip-leaning gesture that was so natural to her. Fang grinned, and it wasn't _entirely_ menacing.

"Hold that thought, Light" she said, placing a palm out in front of her. "I'll be right back, I just need to get something"

Lightning nodded, crossing her arms over her chest, and waited.


	7. Chapter 7

-No Other Choice-

Ch. 7

"Vanille!"

Said girl inclined her head curiously when she saw her friend jogging towards her. "Hm?"

Fang caught up moments later, slowing her pace as she caught her breath. Her pupils were dilated, eyes wild, her face flushed, as if she'd run from a ways off. Fang bent over, hands on her knees, taking deep draughts of air. When she could stand, and breathe normally, Vanille asked her:

"Everything all right?" You look…scared or something…"

"I'm not scared!" Fang replied quickly. _Nothing scares Oerba Yun Fang_. _Not even sex with Lightning Farron. Yea, not scared. Not at all._

"Then what's wong?" Vanille continued, "What were you running from?"

"I'm not running _from_ anything!" Fang blurted out, perhaps a bit too harsh as Vanille shrank back in fear from her towering companion.

"Ah, sorry…I mean…" she started over, scratching the back of her head, a nervous gesture, "I need…to borrow…um, …do you have any flan oil?"

"Flan oil? What do you need that fo- _oh!_" Vanille gasped, understanding flashing across her emerald eyes. She leaned in closer, a look of concern on her cute features. "_Already? _Fang…don't you think that's a little fast? Or…have you, already…oh gods! _Nevermindthat'snoneofmybusiness…"_

Vanille blushed and turned her face away from Fang's and rummaged around in her hip pouch-purse. Slender fingers pulled out a small glass vial capped with a rubber stopper. She quickly handed the clear, oily liquid over.

"Thanks," Fang gave her a quick nod and then jogged off, stopping only once to get her own pack and sling it over a shoulder.

OOOOOOO

Fang stopped just before the clearing and ducked behind some bushes. Hasty hands removed the contents from her bag. She adjusted her sari, slipped off her shorts, stepped into the device and pulled it up her legs, securing it tightly with the buckles provided. Her mind raced while she did this, arguing with herself yet again.

_Oughta just take the bitch raw. That's what she deserves, using me like this._

But deep down, she couldn't make herself fully believe it. Otherwise, she wouldn't have needed the lubricant from Vanille. She sighed wearily, adjusting her sari over a sizable bulge.

_Damn you, Farron. You've made me so weak._

She almost reconsidered her actions.

_No! Gotta be strong. Oerba Yun Fang is strong…not some weak, love-sick puppy._

_Damn you, Farron…_

OOOOOOO

And there she was, standing in all her nude glory, sunlight caressing her creamy-toned skin, hair blowing softly in the gentle afternoon breeze. The sight took Fang by surprise. She'd seen it once, briefly, moments ago, before she'd gone to get her equipment.

She almost let out a groan at just the sight of the deliciously toned body before her. Lightning regarded her with hardly a care, her attitude all matter-of-fact. "Are you ready?" Fang scoffed, _Typical Lightning_.

Fang nodded. Lightning's arms came down from their perch across her modesty and she glanced away as Fang moved closer. Suddenly, it seemed her fingernails were of very much interest to her. _Shy?_ Fang wondered, thinking it an odd contrast by comparison how she was so blunt most of the rest of the time. She smiled a little, glad she'd brought the lube.

_Okay that's enough, Fang of the Yun. No need to get all sappy. This isn't gonna be a romance-fest, she doesn't want that from you, only sex, remember. She only picked you because she had no other choice. _A deep breath, to clear her mind, her heart, of the feelings the memory of an awkward smile could provoke within.

"Light?" Fang lifted her chin to get the woman's attention.

"Hm?" Lightning responded but shied away from her gaze, averting her eyes elsewhere, her cheeks colored soft rosy-pink.

"Turn around," Fang instructed, and when Lightning only looked confused, Fang motioned her into position, turning Lightning's back to her. She took a moment to examine said back, the muscular curves, the hard lines, the taught sinews beneath pale skin. She fought the urge to touch her there, to caress that beautifully sexy back, slender waist, gently curving hips.

Instead, she pushed Farron to the ground. Lightning's reflexes were quick and she caught herself on all fours before her face smashed into the grass below. "Fang!" she yelled in surprise, "What the Hell!"

Fang was on her in a flash, hovering over Lightning's body, but oh so careful not to touch. Her arms were planted on the grass, in front of Lightning's, their bodies so close, Fang could feel the heat riding out from Lightning's back in precious, seductive, torturous waves of heavenly warmth. She caught her breath as they remained paused, poised, pre-coitus.

Fang hovered above Lightning's ear, dangerously near. She had to be careful not to touch Lightning's ear with her lips, so she spoke quietly, barely moving them at all. "Do you want me to stop?"

The nightmare returned with vicious clarity:

_Here lies:_

_LIGHTNING FARRON…_

"No," the soldier replied. She said nothing else, clearly waiting for Fang to take over as the experienced one.

Fang adjusted something, fiddled with something above her. "Light?"

"Yea?"

"This might sting a bit,"

Lightning nodded, permission granted.

But still, she clutched the ground with white-knuckled fists, ducked her head, grunted somewhere between a pained gasp and a cry of surprise.

Kindly, Fang had lubed up, beforehand, and even more kindly, she gave Light a few moments. "You okay?"

Lightning nodded, but didn't say anything.

The rest of the afternoon pounded away in rhythmic thrusts. Lightning found the action itself quite awkward, a bit painful, and rather…boring…

_Is this…all? _She wondered. She thought back to all the times she'd heard other women, Lebreau, a few of her superiors, friends in high school before she'd had to drop out -had they all been lying to her? Just mocking her innocence?

Fang thrust harder each time, trying to get some kind of reaction out of the stubbornly stoic bitch underneath her. All she got as reward was small gasps, they weren't sexual, probably just the air being forced out of her lungs with each push from the Pulse woman behind her.

_Is it supposed to hurt like this? Fang said it would… but… _She thought back to all the times she'd been told sex would feel good. What reason would they have to lie to me? What purpose would that serve? _Why would they lie about it? _

She thought back to growing up, when she and Serah were too young to fully understand about sex. They'd giggle silently in their room, hands over their snickering mouths, while their parents screwed like rabbits in the next room.

_Apparently, Mom liked it well enough… why don't I ? Am I…asexual?_ All of the thoughts running through her head were just too confusing to concentrate. Fang sped up behind her and she hardly had a moment to catch her breath with each new assault on her most tender insides. "Ow, Fang!" she gasped at one particular thrust.

The Pulse woman paid her no heed quickening her pace by the second, until finally, blessedly, she stopped. Lightning grunted as the object was slowly pulled from her person. Fang moved away from her body, making soft rustling sounds behind her. Lightning stayed where she was, waiting for ache to ebb away.

She sat back on her heels, "Fang?" she glanced over her shoulder, but Fang was gone. Lightning stood, although not without some pain, and made her way over to the small pond to clean the grime and sweat from her person.

Later that night:

Fang slept in her own bedroll, far on the other side of camp, next to Vanille, but not crossing the line in the sand the girl liked to draw between herself and anyone else. Lightning tossed and turned in her sleep.

_The same nightmare. The same rainstorm. The same group of unknown voices. Only this time they weren't talking. They were laughing._

_The same headstone. But the inscription was suspiciously different this time._

_Here lies:_

_LIGHTNING FARRON_

_* Virgin_

_* Laughably Inexperienced_

_* Terrible Lay_

She woke in a cold sweat, absently reaching for someone who wasn't there. _What? Where are you?_ Her eyes darted the darkened horizon and found her companion there. Her chest hitched, a strange feeling came upon her, one Lightning had never experienced before.

Loneliness.

_Are you…mad at me? Did I…do it…wrong?_

Lightning eyed her companion, wondering why the woman seemed so distant today. She watched Fang sleep, until her eyelids felt heavy, and her world faded away into the realm of unconsciousness.


	8. Chapter 8

-No Other Choice-

Ch. 8

This time, it was Vanille who got the soldier's attention. She felt the other woman's presence behind her, but did not turn around to acknowledge her. Fang was off hunting up some small game for lunch. Last night, she'd come back to camp, alone. Vanille noticed how distraught she looked.

Oh, her friend tried to hide it well, and for the most part, did a fairly good job of it, but Vanille knew her like a sister. She could read Fang like a well-worn book. The emotions playing across the warrior woman's face spoke volumes though she herself said nothing to Vanille as she busied herself with checking her lance, even though there was nothing wrong with it.

_She's angry…_Vanille noted…_but why…? Also…sad? Hurt?_ Vanille knew she'd had sex with Lightning. It was obvious from the flushed color of her features, the way her bangs stuck with sweat to her forehead. She'd certainly exerted a lot of energy somehow, and Vanille, though a virgin herself, was certainly _not_ naïve. She'd come to know that look about five hundred years before, when Fang of the Yun was the most infamous huntress in all of Oerba, and also, the most notoriously promiscuous one too. The women practically lined up around her block for a chance at a night with Fang. So what the hell had happened to make Fang so upset?

So it was with no small amount of venom that Vanille replied, "What the hell do _you_ want, _Farron_?" when the soldier finally grew brave enough to call for her attention.

The soldier, always one to cut to the chase, spoke what was on her mind, which was something Vanille had not expected. She had of course, been expecting her to ask where Fang was, or how Fang was doing, or if she could talk to Fang for her, but she had not expected the words that came out of the soldier's mouth.

"Have you ever had sex?"

Vanille finally turned around, now intrigued. "No," she said shaking her head, "I've never even had a boyfriend. Why do you ask?" she inquired.

The soldier seemed to ponder Vanille's answer. "Oh…I just…thought you might know…"

"Know what?" Vanille piped. Maybe she could help her with something in regard to what had happened between the two warriors. Anything to get Fang out of the mood she was in. Vanille hated seeing her best friend hurt like this.

Lightning sighed, gathered her thoughts, expressed them. "Fang and I had sex yesterday."

Vanille smirked, trying and failing to suppress a giggle, "I know."

An incredulous eyebrow, though her voice was steady, "She told you?"

Vanille shook her head, "No, but you just did," she pointed out.

The soldier sighed again. "I think she'd mad at me."

Vanille inclined her head. "Why would she be mad at you for that?"

Lightning shrugged her shoulders, looking lost. "I don't know. Maybe I …did it wrong? Maybe I wasn't …good?" Another long sigh. "Anyway, she left right after. Hasn't spoken to me since."

Vanille pondered on this new bit of information to process. It wasn't hard to figure out, and didn't take long to come up with an answer, but Vanille chose her words carefully, she knew how Fang felt about Lightning, but how did _Lightning_ feel about _Fang_?

"Light…_why_ did you have sex with Fang?"

"Because I almost died," she replied too quickly for Vanille's liking. Such a flat, empty answer.

"And..?" Vanille prodded, "Is that the _only_ reason?"

"I'm a virgin…well, I was…before…," Lightning blushed a little. "I didn't want to die a virgin."

Vanille wanted to face-palm herself, or slap Lightning in the face, or slap somebody, maybe Fang, for letting herself fall for the soldier. This was a mess, just every way around. She sighed, exasperated.

"Light…" she began, choosing her words, to try to make the soldier understand Fang's current state of mind, without revealing her secret feelings. "Maybe…I don't know…I shouldn't even be talking to you about this. You should sort this out with Fang ya know."

"but, Light…sometimes…maybe Fang was expecting more…ya know?"

"More?" Lightning's eyes widened slightly. "but…how am I supposed…I've only…just that once…yesterday…with Fang…I don't know what else I could do-"

Vanille shook her head, and this time, she did face-palm. "No, Light…not "more" like _that_,…just…just go talk to Fang…" she sighed. Prayed to Etro that this would turn out all right. Lightning apparently hadn't meant to do whatever she did to piss Fang off. It was probably just a misunderstanding, a result of her near-complete innocence that had somehow backfired.

"Do you think…if I tried again…if I do it _right_ this time…she'll stop being mad at me?" Lightning asked, a quizzical look on her face. In her mind's eye she saw the empty place next to her upon waking the night before. Felt her chest hitch with that lonesome despair. She didn't know why Fang was mad at her. But she didn't want Fang to be mad anymore. She just wanted it to be like it was the other day, before they'd had sex. She wanted Fang to be near her, to chase away her nightmares again. She didn't want to wake up alone. Maybe this was all a bad idea from the start. Maybe it would be worse this time. Maybe Fang wouldn't want to be her friend anymore. But she had to try _something_. She had to try to make it right.

OOOOOOO

Fang plopped the giant rabite on a large flat stone and proceed to skin it, to prepare it for cooking on the fire Vanille would have ready when she got back. She stiffened at a subtle presence behind her that could only be Lightning. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to sneak up on her. "Can I help you?" she asked coldly.

"Fang are you mad at me?"

_Right to the point, ain'tcha darlin', _Fang scoffed. "I'm not mad at you," she tried to sound assuring.

"Are you sure about that? Seems that way…"

Silence squeaked by slowly, the only sound between them coming from Fang's dagger scraping against the stone every now and then as she worked.

"Is it because…I was…bad at it?"

_What? _Fang turned around now to look at Lightning, really see her.

"We could do it again…if you don't mind…I could try…to do better."

Fang crossed her arms over her chest. "You're not a virgin anymore, Light. You don't need me now,"

_Why would you say that? Why would you think I don't need you?_

Lightning looked away, her voice soft when she spoke. "I guess that's a "no" then?"

Fang didn't respond, couldn't respond. She had to keep a tight reign on her emotions because here Lightning was again, the love of her life, asking for another chance to have sex with her.

_What the hell is wrong with you, mate? This is Lightning goddamn Farron! Hottest babe on BOTH worlds, askin you for another roll in the grass and you're sayin' NO? What, did your balls fall off? Ya lost your freekin mind? When is she ever gonna invite you to do this again?_

_Arrgh! Shut up!_

"Just shut up!" Fang yelled out between gritted teeth.

Lightning jumped in surprise. Fang's words which she mistook to be directed at her, stung more than just a little. She hung her head, letting strawberry locks hide the wetness at her eyes.

"Are we…" she ventured shakily, "Are we still friends, Fang?" she swallowed thickly, not lifting her gaze from the ground. "Because…I'm sorry…if I did it wrong… and if you don't want to again…I under-"

By now, Fang had heard quite enough and was feeling like a complete heel. She stopped the smaller woman's ramble with a slender finger against her lips. Lightning raised her eyes to meet Fang's and the Pulse woman felt worse. Seeing the clear evidence of the conflict raging behind the soldier's eyes, Fang was reminded how _young_ Lightning really was. She'd lived through a hell of a lot more than most folks her age, but still…

_She's no older than you, mate…_

Fang pulled Lightning into a quick hug, basking in the close press of the young woman's taught body against hers. She pulled away, held her at arm's length.

"No, I'm not mad at you, Light. Yes, we're still friends, Light. Yes, if you want, we can have sex again," Fang felt a stab at her heart at her own words, knowing she was only digging herself a deeper hole by allowing this thing between them, whatever it was, this…experiment?…for Light.

"I'd like to try…" Lightning reiterated.

Fang nodded, pushed her gently away. "Go get ready then. I'll meet you there. Just gotta finish up here," she gestured at her unfinished task. Lightning's smile was faint, but it was there, Fang noted, the shy, twitchy one only Fang herself seemed to be able to coax from her. Fang had a feeling it was Lightning's only true smile.

OOOOOOO

Again Lightning found herself waiting for Fang in the small clearing on the outskirts of camp. She had a long time to wonder what she might possibly do to be better at this and not disappoint her friend. Only, her mind kept coming up blank. What she should have been wondering was why she even cared, but Lightning was often oblivious to many things in life and this was just another one of those things.

Fang arrived finally. Lightning couldn't help where her eyes darted, to the bulge covered by the blue satin wrappings. Fang caught her staring and smirked a little. Lightning blushed. Fang moved closer. "Get naked," she ordered.

Lightning obeyed, silently removing all of her equipment, gear, and clothing, until she was left in only an arm bracelet, a silver pendant, and a shy, twitchy smile. Fang remained fully dressed as she forced Lightning up against a tree, rationalizing that it was easier to remain distant that way, if she didn't have to feel every naked inch of Lightning's body against hers.

"Wait," Lightning gasped as Fang ground her hip into Lightning and snaked a hand behind her knee, pulling the limb upward to rest against her hip.

Fang forced her gaze to meet the soldier's eyes.

"Not so hard this time. It's still sore,"

Fang nodded absently, reprimanding her own self inwardly. _You hurt her, you jerk! Be careful this time! _

Fang stared a few moments more, letting her eyes graze up and down the soldier's body. Lightning felt a little self-conscious from the intensity behind Fang's eyes. She still had yet to realize what emerald fire could promise.

_Steady mate…_Fang thought, leaning one arm against the tree, to catch herself when she lost her balance, as her resolve momentarily swayed. _She's got ya swoonin' and ya ain't even touched her yet. _The warrior's breath caught as she realized how close to Farron's face this action of leaning had brought her.

Lightning decided she would try something. Fang might like it or might not, but right now the soldier was just trying to save her friendship with the Pulse woman. "I'm ready if you are," she said.

Fang nodded, pushing herself slightly away from Lightning. The soldier winced the moment Fang entered. Her lovely features twisted into a grimace as the familiar filling sensation eased her walls apart. Fang now waited. And with nothing else to do, Lightning leaned forward, upward.

Her lips brushed Fang's unexpectedly and Lightning felt her friend shiver at the contact. She groaned into Lightning's mouth, parting her lips with her tongue. The soldier's eyes widened at the slippery intrusion. And something deep within her began to stir. She didn't know what it was, had never felt anything like this. But it was warm and tense and anxious and it made her greedy for more. More of Fang's lips, her tongue, her mouth, her _taste. _

Fang tasted spicy and wild like the rolling untamed landscapes of her homeworld. How Lightning knew this, how she could sense it, feel it, was unknown to her. All she knew in that moment was that she wanted more. No, she needed more. More of Fang. All of Fang. She wanted it all for herself. Now.

She reached up to grasp the back of Fang's head, tangling her fingers in Fang's hair and Fang pulled back, breaking the kiss abruptly. A wild, wide-eyed look glared back her trembling with barely reigned emerald heat. "No," the Pulsian breathed. She grasped Lightning's hand out of her hair and pinned it up above her head. "We can't do that," she whispered, sounding out of breath. Lightning ignored her, the flavor of Pulsian spice still swarming her taste buds. She reached for Fang with her other hand, but Fang caught that one as well and it soon joined it mate, pinned to the tree above her head.

"Fang," Lightning breathed ragged, head still spinning from the taste of the woman pressing her into the tree and filling her with sweet urgency. She reached up for Fang again, but the huntress avoided her hungry mouth, turning her head to the side. "Fang, please," Lightning gasped.

"No,"

Instead, she pressed the pale-skinned woman harder in to the tree, making her cry out with the force of her thrusts. Lightning's heart beat an erratic pulsing tune in time with the wild woman's frantic movements. The soldier burned within, desperate for Pulsian spice, she fought against her fleshy constraints, but Fang only pinned her tighter, keeping her captive completely immobile while she worked out her frustrations.

"Please Fang," Lightning gasped with another thrust, her lips, her mouth, her tongue all screamed for that which was denied to her senses, and the denial itself served only to further fuel her hunger for the dark-haired woman. "I want… more…need it…please…Fang….," she breathed, between thrusts.

Fang glanced down at her captive, but didn't stop. A smirk spread across her lips. "Beggin'… for more,…. huh?" Fang asked with every upward push. "Always…knew I'd…get ya…t a…beg…for me." Lightning gasped at the feeling growing inside of her from deep within. Everything seemed to swirl into a chaotic melody that threatened to crack her sane mind in half: the feel of Fang pushing inside of her, the tree bark digging mercilessly into the soft flesh of her back, Fang's sari scraping her breasts, in effect, giving her a rug burn. But the smell, the smell of Fang, the taste of her on the air, the sounds she made, the warmth from her skin, the slick sweat sliding down both of their bodies, these were the things that drove Lightning crazy. She needed to taste Fang again, to kiss her, but she was a helpless victim to Fang's utter and complete dominance. Their gasps mirrored each other as Lightning tried and failed to catch her breath, and Fang didn't care one way or the other, so focused on her task.

"Beg…me…Light…" Fang instructed, "Beg…for it…for your…unh…kiss…"

Lightning was hyperventilating by now, her heart and lungs following Fang's maddening crescendo pace. She had to calm herself, close her eyes and concentrate to catch a breath. "…please…Fang…I…I want…"

Fang quickened her pace and Lightning gasped, unable to speak anymore. The only sounds around them were the sounds of their bodies crashing into each other and the sounds of their labored breaths. "What…is it…that you ….want….Light?….tell me…what you…want…"

"…more…" she pleaded, "….more…of…you…your kiss…kiss me…"

Fang tripled her pace now it was all Lightning could do to breathe between Fang's movements. "Greedy…uh…bitch…" Fang growled, thrusting harder each time. "Be glad…you're…gettin'…this…," Fang punctuated each word with a deeper movement, burying herself into the blonde. "Don't ask…what I…can't…give you…"

Lighting felt like she was going to cry all of a sudden. Fang's harsh words slapped her like a glass of ice water in the face. She didn't know why Fang's words made her sad, made her close her eyes to the wetness now streaming down her cheeks, mingling with her sweat to land on her chest. All she could think of was the empty space next to her where Fang used to sleep and that thought made her want to cry harder. But this, Fang's insistent movements kept her grounded in reality, in the moment, in the here and now, and here and now was so much better. She struggled against Fang's grip, she _needed_ her lips, her tongue, her breath, her warmth.

It was no use. Fang's grip on her, a pair of solid iron shackles, denying Lightning everything she needed, wanted. Everything Fang told her she couldn't have.

Fang shook, trembling with a miniature quake, her body shuddering against the soldier. She gave one final heavy grunt that sounded more like a pleading groan. Then she panted, leaning heavily against the tree as she pulled out of and away from the soldier's body. She made a few adjustments, turned around, and left Lightning alone in the clearing.

Lightning leaned against the tree and let out a frustrated moan that part grief, part regret, and part…something else the soldier couldn't identify. She felt as if Fang had been guiding her to the edge of a sensual precipice. Slowly, her heightened awareness had been building to some sort of peak, and she was certain the free-fall into oblivion would have shattered her, broken her soul, and left her no more excuses to be Lightning.

Cocoon and the Pulsian moon bore witness to a pale figure crawling across a darkened meadow. Lightning eased in between Vanille and Fang, careful not wake either of them. She lay on her side, facing Fang who was laying on her opposite side, towards Lightning. The soldier stared at the dark-haired woman who slumbered peacefully before her. Lightning reached out to trace a finger down the line of Fang's jaw. Something Fang had said earlier haunted her. _You don't need me._

Her heart ached for her friend's obvious misery. _Why would you think that, Fang?_ Instead, to the sleeping huntress, she said, "I'm sorry, Fang," Her finger continued it's path down the woman's neck to her shoulder, where Lightning traced Fang's tribal tattoo with a feather's touch. " I'm sorry I kissed you. I didn't know what else to do. When you started…it was different this time…your body was…so soft, and yet hard underneath."

Fang reached up and scratched her arm where Lightning was playing with her tattoo, but otherwise didn't stir and that hand fell back down where it was before. Lightning grasped it in her own and gave it a light squeeze. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I didn't know that you don't…that you're not_…_" _What am I saying? I'm _not. _At least…I don't think I am. Am I?_

Lightning broke herself out of her own thoughts. She brushed Fang's hair out of her face and said again. "I'm sorry."

In response, Fang shifted and muttered her name. "Lightnin'…" Said woman merely waited to see if there was more. "What is it Fang? What's wrong?" she whispered to her unconscious friend.

"…kiss…"

The kiss. Lightning's heart sank. She hurt that she'd caused her friend some obvious distress.

"…can't let go…"

_?_

"Let go of what?" Lightning prodded, squeezing Fang's hand again.

"…love you…Light…"

…

…

…

Lightning blinked. She didn't feel sad anymore. She hadn't been expecting that little coerced confession. She didn't know what to think of it, much less how to feel about it. But a lot of things started to make sense to her all of a sudden, realization replayed her memories with a new perspective. Absently, she snuggled closer to Fang and was comforted by the gentle thumping in her chest.

Fang woke in the middle of the night, for no reason at all, maybe she thought she heard something, some nocturnal Pulsian marsupial rummaging about because Snow left food out again. She shifted, or tried to, but there was a foreign weight on her chest. Bleary jade focused on a thick head of soft, pink strands. A smile mimicked the swelling of her heart and grew wider across her face. She brushed a few of those strands away, and bent her head down to give Lightning the kiss she deserved, a soft pressure against the blonde's forehead, then Fang fell back into slumber with a happy smile on her face, clutching Lightning in her arms.

OOOOOOO

A/N- Ain't quite over yet...almost. ;)


	9. Chapter 9

-No Other Choice-

Ch. 9

Dawn broke over the meadow, illuminating the surrounding campsite with it's soft, warm hues. Drowsy green eyes blinked open slowly. Fang nestled further into the warm body beside her. She inhaled deeply, her arms pulling the woman closer to her. "Mmm…Lightn-"

"_Fang_!"

Fang's eyes shot open wide at the familiar high-pitched voice. "Va-_nille_!" the older Pulsian sat up so abruptly, that the younger, redheaded girl flopped back onto the ground with a thick _thump_.

"Oww…my head," she rubbed the back of her skull, while her eyes narrowed, hurling imaginary daggers at Fang.

Fang paid her no mind. She was busy glancing around for her former bed-mate, but Lightning was nowhere to be found. _Was it…just a dream?_

"Fang!" Vanille whined and punched Fang on the arm, "that hurt!"

The huntress barely registered the redhead's annoyance. She shot to her feet, grabbed her lance and followed the soldier's trail.

OOOOOOO

"How's the ankle?" she asked, with a gruff tone of annoyance that sounded, somehow, a bit _lighter_ today.

"Oh, huh?" Hope shook his head and jogged to catch up with the soldier. "Yeah, it's fine," he said, "all healed up," he confirmed, stomping his left foot on the ground a few times to prove his point.

"Good, you can keep up, then?"

"Yeah, Light, but…" he glanced away timidly.

Lightning crossed her arms over her chest. Her eyes rolled, more out of habit than true annoyance at the boy she'd come to take under her wing, almost like a surrogate son.

"W-where are we going?" he finally managed the courage to voice his opinion with a squeak of a voice. He cleared his throat noisily, and found a deeper resonance within himself. This time his voice came out more self-assured, confident. Something he was sure Lightning would be proud of. "I mean, you're still hurt. You should be resting."

"We need to move on," Lightning said. Without further explanation she turned her back to him and scouted on ahead at a steady but incredibly quick pace and Hope found himself jogging to bring up the rear.

Fang found their tracks quite easily. It wasn't like Lightning was worried about hiding them or anything, but Fang did notice that she set a hasty pace for the boy to follow. The huntress wondered what the soldier thought she was doing in her current state, and thought briefly that perhaps she wasn't in her right mind, being hurt and all.

The sky opened up around noon, though it wasn't surprising since it had been warning a torrential flood for the past hour or so. Lightning shielded herself with her cape, though the thin fabric did little to keep her dry. Hope looked around, his eyes scanning the horizon along with hers, head ducked under his over-vest.

"There! There's a cave," Lighting said, pointing off toward the foot of a mountain.

"What? I don't see any-" Hope started, but Lightning ran for the shelter and he had no choice but to follow or be left behind. He groaned wearily and then pumped his little legs twice as fast to keep up with her longer stride.

Minutes later, they arrived at the foot of the mountain. The climb up to the cave entrance was a slippery, muddy, rockslidey, dig-your-heels-in-and-push sort of scramble, but they both made it to the mouth of the cave, sweaty, wet, and filthy from their ordeal.

Hope crashed to his rump, hugged his knees, and laid his head on them, sighing with exhaustion. Lightning did a quick check to make sure the area was safe. She turned around, ready to do the same as her young charge, when her heart sped up at a familiar presence looming directly behind her. Her eyes shot sideways to glance at the napping boy. He hadn't even heard their intruder's approach.

Fang spun Lightning around by the shoulders. Lightning's eyes regarded the other woman. She was wet from dripping head to soggy toes, but no worse for the wear. Her eyes though, spoke the volumes of her displeasure.

"What the _Hell_ do you think do you're doin' ?" she asked, mildly angered at the pinkette.

"Scouting. It's time to move on," the same dry excuse she gave Hope earlier.

Fang's eyes narrowed. She wasn't buying it. "You coulda hurt yourself worse, ya know?" Fang challenged, stepping closer into Lightning's personal space. The soldier uncharacteristically backed away a minor step. She turned her head to the side, away from Fang's piercing gaze.

"We don't have much time. We need to move on," she said quietly.

"What are you talkin' about? We don't have time to nurse you back to health, if you get hurt like that again,"

"We don't have time to sit around doing nothing!" Lightning argued back, her voice raised.

Hope stirred, displeased with the volume. Both women turned their heads in his direction, but thankfully, the boy was too exhausted to wake for the moment.

Fang grasped Lightning by the arm and led her a bit further into the cave, away from the sleeping boy. "What's this _really_ about, Light?" she asked in hushed voice.

Lightning gave her a firm stare. Then her eyes lowered. Her hands came up to her shirt zipper. Slowly she pulled it down. Fang could see, even without the shirt fully opened. Lightning's brand had grown. A lot.

Fang's features softened. She pulled Lightning into a tight hug. The soldier stood there, awkwardly, arms at her sides. Fang just held her, for quiet moments, while their hearts beat in time to the soft patter of the constant rain outside.

Lightning glanced at the floor and pushed away from the huntress's firm embrace. "Fang…?"

Said woman grasped the soldier's chin in a strong hand and gently turned Lightning to face her. "We'll get through this," she nodded for emphasis, "you and I, we'll lead the others. Finish our focus. Together…to the end,"

The smile radiating from her heart to command itself on her countenance was one Lightning couldn't look at, without returning it. Her small pink lips twitched slightly, as best of a smile as the soldier was known for being able to muster. Lightning opened her mouth to speak. Something in Fang's gaze caused her heart to pound. Something she remembered hearing the woman say.

…_love you, Light…_

Lightning glanced away.

_Forgive me, Serah…_

_I know this is wrong…but…_

"Fang…?" Lightning tried again.

"Light…? Are you okay?" The huntress was at her side, making Lightning face her again. This time, her hand cupped the soldier's cheek, tilting her head upward just slightly enough for their eyes to meet. The press of her body was so close, Lightning found it hard to breathe. All she wanted was to pull her closer.

…_I need her…_

"Have you ever…" Lightning's voice failed her at the intense scrutiny of Fang's emerald eyes. She cleared her throat. Cheeks flaming, she continued, feeling the heat of her unease racing into her flushed features. "have you ever loved somebody?"

Fang somehow shifted her position to put herself in front Lightning again, where the soldier would have to look at her. The raven temptress shrugged, nonchalant. Her eyes spoke a different story, though, as deadly serious as Lightning was known for being.

" Course I have," she said, with a flip of her wild locks, "Why d'ya ask?"

Lightning gulped. Her eyes found the dirt floor once again. "What's it like?" she asked, voice just a hair above a whisper. Silence filled the cave as Lightning nervously stared at the floor, and Fang stared nervously at Lightning.

A thousands descriptions flew through Fang's mind at light speed, but none of them were deemed worthy enough to say out loud. The warrior was never one for flowery platitudes. She could think of nothing to say that wouldn't frighten the soldier away with it's sincerity, or make her laugh outright from pure silliness.

Finally, she settled on the direct approach. One final time, she closed the distance between them and turned Lightning to face her.

"Close your eyes," she said in a tender tone.

Lightning obeyed. Her heart pounded when she felt Fang take one of her hands in both of her own. Her skin soon made contact with familiar soft flesh. A strong heart beat steady, though a little hard, just a tad quick. Lips pressed hers, a skin-tingling rush. Lightning drank greedily of Pulsian spice, untamed, wild sweetness. A hand in her hair. Another holding her face. The heart beneath her palm hammered with explosive fury, threatening to burst from it's bony prison and jump willingly into her waiting hand.

As Fang broke the kiss, breathing heavily, her eyelids at half-mast, emeralds sparkling beneath them, Lightning slid her hand from Fang's chest to brush her gloved knuckles over Fang's jaw. She leaned up, stretching on her toes to kiss Fang again. The cave, the mountainside, Pulse, Cocoon, were swept away between half-breaths as their lips clashed over and again, until Lightning knew nothing else but this very moment, her balance swaying from her grasp, confused by the influx of sensory overload to her brain. Fang held her steady, arms secured around her waist.

"Fang…" she breathed, resting her head on the warrior's chin, while Fang placed gentle kisses on her forehead, "I think I…no-"

She pulled back shaking her head. She sighed, frustrated with herself. Fang could almost read the words floating through the soldier's mind.

_Why is this so hard for me? _

_Why can't I say it?_

Fang stood very still, letting her arms fall away from the blonde. She studied Lightning carefully. The soldier seemed to be deciding what to say next. Her eyes hardened, determined. She met Fang's gaze. The huntress stood to attention.

"I chose you because…I had no choice but to fall for you. Fang…I think I'm…what I mean is…is that I…"

Fang's lips found a small smile at the soldier's endearing awkwardness. She brushed a strand of bangs from Light's eyes. Her hand lingered there, to trail a path down her cheek, where it paused, to cup said cheek, her thumb running lightly over the skin of Lightning's face. Their eyes met. In Lightning's fierce crystal blue eyes Fang could see the soldier's strength return with a solid conviction.

"I love you," she whispered.

Fang smiled, "You talk too much, Light,"

Fang pulled Lightning into a kiss that made the soldier tremble, made her knees buckle. Fang caught the soldier, holding her weight before she could fall. They slowly descended to the floor. Clothes were lost in the frantic haste of flushed skin and dancing nerves.

Lightning kissed Fang with all she had ever learned of the act. Every ounce of her love, lust, and need for the woman poured into the action of her mouth. She suckled, nipped, licked, nibbled and caressed at Fang's lips. The warrior was tender in her own ministrations, her kisses never more than a firm pressure against Lightning's mouth, a soft slip of her tongue across the blonde's.

OOOOOOO

Hope woke up from his short nap. He thought he heard Lightning yelling. That wasn't unusual. Lightning was always yelling at someone about something. Usually that someone was Snow, and usually it was because he was big, dumb, oaf.

"Hey, Light, keep the volume down, yeah?" he muttered, rubbing at his eyes. "Light?" Hope yawned and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Lightning?" he glanced around the cave, his memory of their muddy climb returning to him. He got to his feet, heart pounding. Where was Lightning? Did she leave him here? Was she okay? Was she hurt? Hope Estheim mustered his courage. He gathered up his large boomerang and tiptoed deeper into the darkness of the cavern…

_Don't worry Lightning. I'm coming._

He walked slowly, so as not to arouse the suspicion of any creatures he might have to sneak up on in order to rescue his mentor. The more he wandered around in the dark, the closer he got to some sounds. It sounded like Lightning. She was struggling with something.

"I'll save you!" Hope shouted, and ran towards where he thought Lightning was in mortal danger.

OOOOOOO

"Fang…" Lightning sighed, arching breathlessly into her rhythm , "…Fang…Fang…"

_Swishswishswishswish…THAP!_

"Ow! Maker's balls! What the Hell?" Fang cursed. She rubbed the back of her head, where a small knot was beginning to form. She glanced behind her, from whence the blow had come, eyes narrowing into the darkness.

"Let her go, you evil…," Hope's voice trailed off at recognition of the familiar Pulse accent. He scratched the back of his head nervously, "Uh…F-F-_Fang_?"

Silence ruled heavy in the dark. Lightning said nothing. Made absolutely not a peep. She and Fang had been caught in quite the compromising position, being naked and all over each other, and all. And Fang, evil devil woman that she was, continued to stroke Lightning, probing slowly, deep into her, gently massaging her insides, then pulling away in a teasing rhythm.

"Where's Light?" he asked.

Fang eyed Lightning sidelong for a moment. A gentle smirk played on the huntress's lips. Lightning shot Fang a warning with her death-laser eyes.

_Don't. You. DARE._

Fang's smirk widened.

Lightning's eyes filled with horror.

"She's fine, Hope," Fang called over her shoulder. "Why don't you go back to camp, kiddo?,"

"But what if she's in trouble?" he protested, taking a few damning steps forward. "I thought I heard-"

His voice froze in his throat. It was dark in the cave, but now his eyes had adjusted and he was just close enough to make out a form underneath Fang. The form had pink hair.

"L-Light?"

She swallowed, her eyes gone wide. "Hi, Hope."

"Oh, were you guys sparring?" Hope asked curiously, as he took a few more damnable steps closer.

He could see enough to know that Fang had pinned Lightning to the ground. Lightning's knees held tightly onto Fang's waist, but…there was something off. Something he just wasn't getting. Fang and Light themselves seemed annoyed and scared by his presence. Well Fang seemed annoyed, and Lightning seemed scared. Hope just stood there, continuing to misread the situation.

Fang muttered something to Lightning in her ear. Lightning glanced up at Hope with horror in her eyes, then she glanced back at Fang with that same fear.

Hope stepped closer to them in the dark. "So who's winning, so fa-" he stopped short when he caught sight of Fang's bare back. It was odd that he could see her muscles, he thought. It slowly dawned on him as to the reason why.

_That's…because… _he thought, his eyes traveling down the tanned skin. _She's…she's…not…wearing…_

His gaze wandered low enough down her back to come to the conclusion that she was naked. "Oh. My. God." he said aloud. "I-I-I'm sorry!" he said quickly, averting his eyes, "I didn't see anything, I swear!"

Fang snickered. "Sure thing, kid."

"I-I should go," Hope nodded too quickly. He ran back to the entrance and didn't stop running until he reached camp.

Lightning looked completely mortified. She wondered if she'd ever be able to face the boy again. Fang laughed.

"It'll be a long time before he gets _that _image out of his head," Chuckling, she turned her attention back to the blonde beneath her. "Now, where were we…?"

OOOOOOO

Hope made it back to camp. He fell over, wheezing heavily from his long sprint. Sazh was cleaning his guns. Snow had lunch cooking, unfortunately, and Vanille looked up from where she sat, making a flower bracelet.

"Hi!" she greeted him in her usual cheery tone.

"Hey Vanille," he said, catching his breath.

Vanille tilted her head at him. "Back so soon?"

"Yeah," Hope nodded, taking a seat beside her.

"Where's Fang and Lightning?" she queried.

"Scouting!" he stood up immediately, the word spewing from his mouth too quickly.

Sazh glanced over at the boy. Snow looked up from what he called "cooking". Vanille looked concerned. She got to her feet.

"Well, should we go help them?"

"No!" Hope shouted again. His face flushed embarrassment immediately. He scratched the back of his head. His voice came out slower this time, steadier. "I mean, they're…they're fine..."

Vanille cocked her head the other way. "Are you sure?"

He nodded profusely. "Trust me, Vanille. They're more than fine."

"Don't worry," Snow put in over his shoulder. "The girls can handle themselves,"

"Yeah," Hope nodded, "We should just wait…here…until they get back," Hope said, nodding quickly again. He grabbed Vanille's wrist and sat back down, pulling her with him. She eyed the horizon a moment longer and then turned to him. Vanille proudly showed off her bracelet and Hope pretended to be interested, while he tried to think of anything else than the image of Fang's barenakedass, and that Lightning was _under_ her.

OOOOOOO

"_FANG!"_ Lightning's voice cut across Pulse. Birds in nearby trees took to wing at the force of her resonance.

In the dark of the cave, purest clear sapphires slowly returned to focus on the sparkling emeralds they beheld with love. Sweaty, flushed, and happy, Fang smiled down at Lightning. The soldier had a look of awe in her eyes.

"Wow," Fang heard her whisper. Then, directed at the huntress, "What, on Pulse, was _that_?"

Fang grinned. She kissed Lightning on the cheek and replied in a low tone. "Your first orgasm, apparently."

Lightning looked at Fang as if she was understanding something for the very first time. Fang kissed her on the lips. "You're very welcome."

Lightning smiled, and Fang noticed it was similar to her own cocky grin. "I'd like to return the favor, if you don't mind."

Fang's smile widened in the dark. Refuse this beauty? Oh, hell no. Submit to her charms? It seemed to Fang, there was no other choice.

OOOOOOO

A/N: All I have to say is...Bahahahaha! Hope! He's my little comic relief bitch! (sry Hope fans). Originally wanted this to be a bit more 'romantic'-like for Fang/Light, but I guess some part of me thought I was being too serious. I do serious all the time, so meh, *shrugs*.


End file.
